Dave bolted from his seat and ran towards the bathroom. He nearly tripped over Mudgie, whom was growling as he ran.
"Easy, Mudge," he commanded as he reached the bathroom door. He knocked on the door.
"David!"
He grabbed the doorknob and raced inside, the room was pitch black and the shower was running full steam.
"Penelope?"
"Get me out of here," she begged.
"Why are you showering in the dark," he asked. He flipped the light switch, but nothing happened.
"I wasn't. The lights went off and I got scared," she cried.
"The power must have gone out," he told her. "Turn off the shower, I'll help you out. Or would you rather I got some candles, so you can finish?"
"Out, I want out."
He could hear the panic in her voice. "It's okay. Shut off the water, I'll grab a towel."
"I can't," she replied tearfully.
"I got it," he told her. He made his way by memory to the head of the tub. There wasn't a lot of light coming in through the open hallway door and there was no window in the room. He pulled the curtain back and reached in to turn off the water. The spray wet his arm. He turned the water off, his arm soaking wet.
"David?"
"Hold on," he said quietly. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off.
Penelope pulled back the curtain. Dave could just see the outline of her curvaceous body. She started to step out of the tub, Dave jumped forward and grabbed her arm. Once he helped her out of the tub, she wrapped her arms around him and clung to him. Her wet skin felt good next to his bare torso and he responded physically.
"It's okay, I've got you," he reassured her. His hands rubbed gently up and down her back as he felt her tremble in his arms.
Her full breasts pressed against his chest; he could feel her nipples harden. He took a deep breath and fought to control his growing libido.
"David," she said softly.
"Mmm-hmm?"
"Can we make love now?"
"Kitten –"
"We both know it's going to happen, I don't want to wait," she confessed. She rubbed her breasts slowly back and forth as she slid her hands lower to cup his ass.
His erection strained the front of his jeans. She was a temptress. And she was right, they were going to make love. He cupped her ass and pulled her even tighter against him.
He growled in her ear. "I hope you're sure about this."
She turned her head and kissed him hard. Her tongue probed his mouth: lips, teeth, tongue – they played together as a promise of what was to come. He moved them blindly from the bathroom to the bedroom, pulling her with him as he backed his way from room to room. He felt the bed at the back of his legs, stopped and broke the kiss.
"Last chance," he warned.
He could feel her long hair, brush against his skin as she shook her head. "I want you."
He picked her up, turned and gently tossed her on the bed.
She giggled and wriggled around on the bed.
Dave unzipped his pants then shoved them and his underwear down and off his body. He crawled onto the bed, finding her waiting with open arms. He slid between her open legs, laying his body gently on hers. His skin crawled with electricity from every connection with hers.
She reached up and ran her fingers over his shoulders, tracing the muscles and points of bone.
"Penelope," he said. "I don't have any condoms. Are you on the pill or something?"
Her fingers moved down his arms to his elbows and back up to his shoulders. "I'm not. I had to stop taking them because they were making me sick."
He groaned. "Do you have any condoms with you?"
"Yeah," she replied. "But are they really necessary?"
He paused and let the question hang in the air for a moment.
She stopped moving, stopped breathing waiting for his reply.
"Are you saying you want to get pregnant," he asked.
"I'd like to try. With you. I'd love to have a baby with you, David."
He blinked as his mind raced. He thought of James and of Carolyn and the future he thought he would have had with them. But that was gone. He closed his eyes and a picture of Penelope swollen with his child sprang into his mind. She looked beautiful.
"Yes," he choked out. "Marry me. You have to marry me as soon as possible. I don't want our children to have any doubts as to whom their parents are."
"Children," she inquired. Her voice was full of hope and happiness.
"Yes," he hissed. He lowered his head and captured her lips in a quick kiss. "Marriage and multiple children."
She slipped her hands into his hair. "Okay."
They kissed again; a promise to each other. He moved, kissing his way down her body worshiping every part of her. His mouth and hands played a symphony on her skin, taking her on an emotional and physical journey until the crescendo. As she caught her breath, he moved over her once again and joined their bodies together.
"I love you, Penelope Garcia."
"I love you too, David Rossi."
They made love and fell asleep holding each other close.
Dave awoke first. The chill in the air rousing him from the most pleasant of dreams. He slid off the bed and tugged on his underwear and pants. He covered Penelope with the comforter, wrapping her up like a human burrito before grabbing a shirt and padding out of the bedroom.
The fire was out in the fireplace and the whole cabin was chilly. Mudgie, tucked into a tight ball on his bed, opened an eye and glared at him.
"I'm starting a fire now," he told the dog.
He got a fire roaring in the fireplace in a matter of minutes. As that was crackling and popping, he checked the snow level. The snowpack was at least three feet deep. It wasn't currently snowing but looked like it could start again at any minute.
He grabbed his boots and socks, sat on the couch and began to put them on when Penelope appeared wearing the fluffy, pink robe and slippers she had been wearing the day before.
"Where are you going," she asked sleepily.
"Outside for a minute," he said vaguely.
"It's cold out there. It's cold in here," she stated. She hugged the robe tighter to her chest.
"The fire went out," he explained. He finished tying one boot and reached for the other. "I need to turn on the generator."
"Generator?"
"Yeah, I have one in the garage."
She frowned at him. "You lied to me?"
"No."
"You said sometimes you don't have power here," she said. Her voice tinged in anger.
"I didn't lie,' he sighed. "I omitted part of the truth. Sometimes, I don't have power as you found out during your shower. But then I turn on the generator and I'm fine. You didn't really think I would just sit here in the dark."
She glared at him. "You were making fun of me."
He finished tying his second boot and stood up. "I was testing you. Trying to gauge how serious you were about being stuck out here with me. You risked your neck to come out to my cabin and sit under a blanket of snow to see me."
He paused and looked at her for several seconds. "You're not the only one who has been hurt before, Penelope. You're not the only one to have your heart broken. You know that I've been married three times. Why do think that? It's because I want to be loved too. I've always wanted a wife and children – a family to call my own. I had the chance with Carolyn and I fucked it up. I let my grief become a wedge between her and I. I used my ego and my skills to push people away because I was scared of going through all of that again."
He moved closer to her. "You're the first woman to pursue me out here and profess her love for me, but you're not the first woman to pursue me. When it comes to matters of the heart, I am a very stupid man."
She watched him closely, not saying a word.
"You would think that because of the job we do and how well we can read people, that I would be better at discerning the truth," he continues. He walked over to the fireplace and poked at the burning wood. He grabbed another piece and carefully placed it in the fire.
"I've had a few women take advantage of my heart," he sighed again.
"I'm not here to do that," she said quietly.
He smiles gently. "I know."
He moved back to her and put his hands on her hips. "When I said I love you it was because I already knew that you loved me too."
She pursed her lips. "Oh you did?"
He smiled and nodded. "I've been watching you for a long time, remember?"
"Yeah."
He kissed her softly. "I'll be right back. Are you hungry?"
"Yeah."
He grabbed his jacket, which alerted Mudgie to get up.
"I'll start lunch," Penelope said. "And when you get back, we can talk about baby names."
